LimmudVan ’15

In 1837, Reform Rabbi Abraham Geiger called for the emancipation of women in Jewish law. We will explore why the Rabbinical Conferences of the 1840s failed to follow this bold suggestion, but we shall also learn about a fundamental change in Jewish culture that brought women to the forefront of German Reform as well as Neo-Orthodox Judaism.  

COMMENT: This is from my first book, Gender, Judaism, and Bourgeois Culture in Germany, 1800-1870, Indiana University Press, 2006. 

The sacred Jewish cycle of seven has been on many people's minds this year. We are in the heart of the shmita (sabbatical) year - the culminating seventh year of the Jewish calendar cycle in which the Torah imagines a release for the land and for all the people who live in the land. The reverberations of such a practice would be felt deeply in the self, community, ecology, economy, and spirit. How can a vision seemingly rooted in scarcity lead to abundance? What would the effects be for the individual vs the community? How is it practiced today and how might we use it as a blueprint in our own lives? We will explore this ideas through the original source texts.

Since our first steps into peoplehood, the Jews have been gathering in ways that deepen our connections, test and refine our strengths, and set the platform for our sense of mission. 50 Days of Gathering tracks the development of the Jewish people's gathering wisdom from the minute of the exodus from Egypt. With Yonatan Gordis, a world renowned trainer designer of conferences and retreats, we will explore methods of gatherings, what we gather for, and the inherent potential in congregating.

This 90 minute session will explore how shmitta is relevant for 21st Century Canadian society. Text study and debate, a panel featuring a farmer, economist, realtor, rabbi and more, plus information on Shmitta initiatives across Israel and the United States. This fun, eduational and practical session will inspire you and give you the tools to turn this ancient practice into a modern reality.

Note that this is a 90 minute session. 

What did divorce look like in the Bible? What does it look like today? How do ancient concepts of male and female power lead to thousands of women being denied their natural freedom today in the State of Israel? This session will examine the power dynamics of Jewish divorce, and explore how these dynamics continue to exist in modern Israeli law and society.